An attempt to learn how to use my D-SLR camera to it's maximum potential and share this with anyone interested.

Sunday, 26 December 2010

HDR Done Right: Digital Photography School

Thanks to my work colleague Alan, I was introduced to the website Digital Photography School which gives great tips and guides on photography.

One thing I have been experimenting with is High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging which basically means you get a wider range of luminance, i.e. combining a range of dark and light exposures to give a much deeper fuller image. For a more accurate explanation, see Wikipedia on HDR. Now, the proper way to do this type of imaging is to take at least 3 exposures, typically one or two stops either side of a balanced metering (i.e. one too dark, one too light and one just right). Then using one of the programmes out there (or Adobe Photoshop CS5) you can combine the images to give you the HDR image. Alternatively, if have not been able to capture multiple exposures of the same composition, you can use "HDR effect" that can be produced in Photoshop (which is what I've ended up doing on some of my shots).

As a beginner, there is a tendency to over-do things... which is what I've probably done. However, I sometimes think you have to cross the mark to really know where it is! Digital Photography School shows how to do HDR properly with some good sample images: 19 Beautiful Examples of HDR done right

Recently discovered on my Canon 1000D the "Auto Exposure Bracketing" (AEB) function (see page 80 of the Instruction Manual). Find this through the Menu button and you can set the camera to take 3 images on one click of the shutter - at a predetermined stop either side of where you meter in addition to the metered shot (best done using full manual mode).